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Thai

Sorry for my unexplained absence from the internet this past week. I’ve sort of been all over the place but ready to regroup and get back into a little bit of a routine.

I neglected doing a confession post yesterday and I contemplated nixing it all together this week, but then I realized I have too many good (food) pictures to share. So this will be short and sweet:

Confession #1-

Oh look, more sushi! I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve been eating sushi like it’s my job. This little beauty was a result of a Whole Foods lunch the other day…btw…their raw tuna fantasy roll is something to praise.

I am really into rice-less sushi these days. Maybe it was the sweet thai chili sauce that this baby was covered in, but either way, I adored it!

Confession #2-

Speaking of Thai….

I found a go-to Thai takeout place a few miles from my apartment so now I feel my life is complete. I mentioned in my last post that it has been months since I’ve had my favorite cuisine and the craving was too strong to ignore any longer. Mara let me in on this place a few weeks ago and praised the peanut sauce. Turns out, she was right (obviously)…I could drown my sorrows into a bowl of this sauce alone…in fact, I think I did.

Confession #3-

I had the chance to try a new (to me) Greek yogurt brand last wee. Wallaby Organic Yogurt now makes Greek Yogurt cups that are quite delicious. I picked up a few flavors the other day and decided to throw them in my yogurt mix.

I’ve only tried the Black Cherry so far, but I was impressed! I didn’t think I would be into such a sweet sauce that comes on the side, but I actually enjoyed the fact that the flavors were not mixed in. You simply lift the side compartment filled with the flavor and mix it into the plain yogurt. This way, I could control the amount of sweetness that went into my cup.

Confession #4-

More new products to rave about….

Intelligent Nutrients sent me some of their shampoo and conditioner to sample. These products are free from toxins and any harsh ingredients that most other commercial hair care products contain. I’ve always loved the idea of using organic hair care products but rarely buy them because of the cost so I was excited to receive the Haromic Shampoo and Conditioner to try. I love the luscious smell of peppermint and the way these leave my hair feeling so smooth and full. Definitely a good hair care product to keep in mind!

Confession #5-

It has been 6 weeks since I have seen two of my best friends here in Chicago. Kathleen and Chelsey and I try to plan a bi-weekly brunch date but due to some hectic schedules and conflicts, we’ve had to reschedule for the past month. It was incredible to see them both today and catch up on life! We spent hours at our favorite brunch spot in Wicker Park, dining on hippie omelets and pancakes, without taking a breath in-between bites and deep conversation. It’s honestly my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning.

(recycled picture)

Well, that’s all I have for now. It’s going to be a busy week next week for me. I have my first big event with my internship, a going away dinner/party with some friends for a co-worker of mine, and a few other fun activities planned in the city. Bring on this crazy season!

It’s been far too long since I’ve had Thai food. In fact, now that I think about it, I haven’t had a chance to experience my favorite cuisine in over 3 months! Something is seriously wrong with that!

Even though I have yet to discover any good Thai places in this city yet – which I know they exist, I just haven’t had a chance to look – I recently was able to curb my Thai craving by whipping up something on my own.

A few weeks ago, I was thrilled to be selected by The Foodie Blogroll for the Thai Kitchen Product Sampling Program. Thai Kitchen is a familiar brand that I’ve seen plenty of times on the store shelves but have never purchased any of their products. You see, if I am going to have Thai, I will usually save it for the real thing.

That being said, I have always given these things a second look as most of their sauces, noodles, and packaged meals have given me a reason for intrigue.

I was sent a few products to try and also asked to come up with a recipe in honor of The Chinese New Year – a 15 day celebration that started on February 10th! I really didn’t know much about the holiday, but any reason to celebrate with a Thai dinner is a valid reason for me.

Before I get to the recipe I came up with, just a little info about the sponsor:

At Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, we’ve made your favorite Asian flavors available to enjoy anytime and anywhere. From noodles to sauces and seasonings, coconut milk to fish sauce, our premium products deliver restaurant-quality Asian cuisine in minutes. Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration – and what better time to “thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine. From mild to spicy, appetizers to dessert, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia have something for every taste bud, sure to please even the most discerning palates.

The aromatic essences. The exotic flavors. The abundant texture. There’s no culinary experience that compares to Asian cuisine – whether you’re preparing a meal for the whole family or looking for a quick snack, we’re here to bring the adventure to your kitchen.

So as stated, my task was to come up with a recipe featuring one or more of the products I was sent. I actually spent quite some time contemplating this dish. My mind first thought of a Pad Thai or a traditional Thai Stir Fry, but the more I thought, the more I realized I wanted to branch out of the norm. These dishes were too safe and you know I’m all about a challenge.

Challenge accepted!

Thai Peanut Chicken Pizza for the win! I love the idea of assimilating cuisines and this pizza proves that unconventional fare is without a doubt, so pleasing the the pallet.

Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with Sweet Chili Sauce and spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper and set aside.

Combine soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and the reserved sweet chili sauce. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes.

Top pizza with chicken, red pepper, broccoli and Thai Sweet Ginger Garlic seasoning. Sprinkle feta evenly over pizza and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

I love making pizza at home, mainly because my requirements for a good pizza differ immensely from those of the typical standard. You can play around with this recipe as far as toppings but the combination of red pepper and broccoli worked well for me.

The real Thai flavor came out in the chicken. That peanut sauce gets me every time.

Other than sushi, it also happens to be the one cuisine that I have the most difficulty with in recreating at home. I’ve tried many times, but I can never seem to get the flavor or spice just right and I end up getting more frustrated than anything.

I would much rather make a trip to my favorite Thai restaurant and order a big bowl of authentic pad thai than attempt to recreate this classic dish in my own kitchen. And curry, oh boy! That’s a whole new level of taste that never seems to work for me.

I have yet to find a knock off sauce in the grocery store that comes close to the real thing until a few days ago.

Wegmans has a dish on their hot foods bar that I adore. It’s simply kale sauteed in a red curry sauce that knocks my socks off every single time. The sauce is so good that I could probably drink it if it were bottled up.

Well guess what? My wish was granted.

There it is, one of the best curry sauces I’ve come across outside of a real Thai restaurant. I usually don’t buy bottled dressings or sauces but the ingredient list on this didn’t scare me and I love that it’s made in store so it’s as close to homemade as you can get.

I used this sauce to put together one of the best Thai fake-outs yet! You could certainly make your own sauce, but if you’re like me, using the best bottled sauce you can find will save you a great deal of time and trouble. I didn’t have any brown rice on hand so I used quinoa which actually turned out to be the better choice. The quinoa absorbed so much of the sauce so it was preferred over any other grain.

Real Thai food is still top notch but I’m thrilled to find something that can give me the next best thing.

Yesterday, I was sitting in a local coffee shop, enjoying my pumpkin spice latte while catching up on some writing projects when two middle-aged men, dressed in Armani knock-offs, decided to convene at a table beside me. It wasn’t a big deal until these very boisterous and self-righteous gentlemen started to engage in quite a heated debate on whether women who have children are “doable.” The one man argued that because this woman was preoccupied with her kids, she would be the perfect target for a one-night stand. The other man complied and said, “With assets like that, I’d be willing to take the risk.”

At first, I ignored their offensive howls, but as they became more heated into the conversation, I went on to find that both of these men had two sixteen-year-old daughters. I then grew disgusted that a father of a young impressionable girl is capable of viewing females with such insolence and disrespect.

No wonder the pressure that is faced on young women today is intolerable. For centuries, women have been placed to a degradable standard where their worth is only seen through their sex appeal and their intelligence is compromised because of their femininity.

I’m not about to go into a feminist rant over equality among genders, but I just want to take a moment to express how extremely important I think it is to raise our children (young women especially) in the mindset of confidence, assurance and self-respect. When we give them no other choice but to believe that their value is placed in who they are and not what they look like, it will be much easier for them to ignore the societal mendacity and relish in dignity.

I don’t usually start a post with such a serious testimonial, but I haven’t been able to get this off my mind since the incident occurred and felt compelled to voice that little reminder.

On a much lighter note, I have been craving Thai food for weeks now. Truthfully, I’ve been longing for a genuine bowl of pineapple fried rice from a delicious Thai bistro near my house, but since we are trying to be cautious of our eating out budget, I decided it would be in my best interest to attempt my own.

I’m not sure about you, but every time I take a stab at Thai food, it never lives up to the authenticity of the real thing. I think it has to do with the sauce because I’m pretty sure the peanut sauce in traditional Thai is nowhere close to one you would buy in the store.

Regardless, I accepted the challenge and came up with one of the best versions of Thai take-out yet.

I have to admit, seeing all of the pumpkin spice coffee out makes me crave hot coffee. Still going strong on the iced though for now. I’m afraid when I let go of it, I let go of summer.

8:15am- Arrive at gym, set up for my class and hit the weights.

9:00am- RPM

10:30am- Arrive home, shower, dress and get back to work.

11:00am- Grab a snack.

11:00-12:30am- Work.

12:30pm- Lunch time!

Lunch

Egg Whites, Spinach, Salsa and Avocado

1:00pm- Back to work.

2:00pm- Run errands including Target, my parent’s house, and a quick stop at the post office.

4:00pm- Arrive home and finish up some work for the day.

5:30pm- Toly gets home and we start on dinner. (a little earlier tonight because he has a basketball game)

6:15pm- Time for dinner!

Dinner

I wish I told you I made these turkey burgers myself but I can not lie, they came from a box. Still delicious!

The salad consisted of

Romaine

Cucumber

Edamame

Grilled Broccoli

Grilled Turkey Burger

Thai Peanut Dressing

7:00pm- Clean up and blog for the night.

So that brings us to the now. This is usually my down time in the day when my music goes on, my reader gets opened and I unwind. What I don’t picture is my 8:30pm snack that happens almost every night. What does that look like?

Here is my rotation….

Cottage Cheese, Chopped Peach

Small bowl of cereal

Greek Yogurt

Applesauce with Cinnamon

And then I’m in bed by 9:30pm.

Well there you go. That is what my entire day looked like. Keep in mind most days are not this uneventful. Today just happened to be a nice break from the craze I’ve experienced in the last few weeks.

And what else comes at a welcomed break is the fact that we are leaving for the beach tomorrow! Thank goodness because both Toly and I fully need this weekend away.

Do you spend your days very routined or do you have a more flexible schedule that changes day-to-day?